Single-stage definitive fixation for floating hip injuries: evaluating functional outcomes and complications

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Trauma management

Background:

• Floating hip injuries present complex challenges due to varied fracture patterns.
• Traditional management involves staged approaches and damage control principles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze patient outcomes following early definitive fixation of floating hip injuries.
• To compare early fixation with traditional provisional methods and determine optimal surgery timing.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 54 floating hip cases (2018-2021) treated with early definitive fixation.
• Data collected included fracture patterns, surgical variables, complications, and functional outcomes (minimum 3-year follow-up).

Main Results:

• Mean time to surgery was 1.4 days; mean hospitalization was 7.6 days.
• Positive functional outcomes observed: Oxford Hip Score (29.2), EQ-5DL (0.834), SF-36 PCS (45.04).
• A correlation was found between EQ-5DL and SF-36 Physical Component Score.

Conclusions:

• Early definitive fixation is a viable alternative for floating hip injuries.
• Developing objective clinical criteria can optimize management and enhance patient outcomes.